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Rockabilly Blues
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 22, 1980
StudioQuadrafonic Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre Country, country rock [1]
Length32:48
LanguageEnglish
Label Columbia
Producer
Johnny Cash chronology
A Believer Sings the Truth
(1979)
Rockabilly Blues
(1980)
Classic Christmas
(1980)
Singles from Rockabilly Blues
  1. "Cold Lonesome Morning"
    Released: August 1980
  2. " The Last Time"
    Released: November 1980
  3. " Without Love"
    Released: January 1981

Rockabilly Blues is an album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1980. Highlights include "Cold Lonesome Morning," which had some minor chart success (No. 53 in the country charts), " Without Love," by his son-in-law, Nick Lowe, and a cover of the witty "The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over." The first two of the aforementioned songs were the only singles from the album, though "Without Love" hardly enjoyed any chart success, peaking at No. 78. "The Twentieth Century is Almost Over" was re-recorded five years later by Cash and Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, collectively known as The Highwaymen, on their first album entitled Highwayman, though it was, in essence, a duet with Nelson.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]
Billboard(unrated) [2]
Robert ChristgauB− [3]

Robert Christgau deemed Rockabilly Blues "an honorable country album with some pretty good songs on it." [3] The Globe and Mail concluded that the album "has more to do with traditional country music than it does hot country-rock." [4] The Boston Globe opined that "best of all is Cash's long awaited discovery of John Prine ('The 20th Century Is Almost Over')." [5]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Cold Lonesome Morning" J.R. Cash Earl Poole Ball3:21
2." Without Love" Nick LoweNick Lowe2:26
3."W-O-M-A-N"J.R. CashEarl Poole Ball3:21
4."The Cowboy Who Started the Fight" Billy Joe ShaverEarl Poole Ball3:46
5."The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over" Steve Goodman, John PrineEarl Poole Ball3:38
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
6."Rockabilly Blues (Texas 1955)"J.R. CashEarl Poole Ball3:18
7." The Last Time" Kris KristoffersonEarl Poole Ball3:12
8."She's a Go-er"J.R. CashEarl Poole Ball2:28
9."It Ain't Nothing New Babe"Billy Joe Shaver Jack Clement4:02
10."One Way Rider" (with June Carter Cash) Rodney CrowellJack Clement3:16

Personnel

Production

  • Album produced by Earl Poole Ball
  • " Without Love" produced by Nick Lowe
  • "It Ain't Nothing New Babe" and "One Way Rider" produced by Jack Clement
  • Engineers: Gene Eichelberger at Quadrafonic Studio, Nashville, TN; Curt Allen at JMI Recording Studio, Nashville, TN; Dave Edmunds at U.K. Pro Studio, London, England
  • Back-up Engineers: Willie Pevear, Barbara Cline at Quadraphonic Studio, Nashville TN
  • Recorded at Quadraphonic Studio, JMI Recording Studio, U.K. Pro Studio
  • Front Cover Photography: Leonard Kamsler
  • Reissue Producer: Dave Nives
  • Project Coordinator: Kajetan Koci
  • Reissue Designer: Suzanne Ammon

Chart performance

Album

Chart (1980) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Country Albums 23

Singles

Year Single Peak positions
US Country CAN Country
1980 "Cold Lonesome Morning" 53 74
" The Last Time" 85
1981 " Without Love" 78 68

References

  1. ^ a b "Rockabilly Blues Review by Michael McCall". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Review: Johnny Cash – Rockabilly Blues" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 40. 4 October 1980. p. 110. ISSN  0006-2510. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
  3. ^ a b "Johnny Cash". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  4. ^ McGrath, Paul (15 Nov 1980). "Rockabilly Blues Johnny Cash". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
  5. ^ Flanagan, Bill (21 Jan 1981). "Rockabilly Blues". News. The Boston Globe. p. 1.

External links